AI Reshaping Legal Practiseโ in Iberia: A Shift fromโฃ disruptionโฃ to Restructuring
By Gloria Paiva
Experts: Marisa Borsboom, co-founder of the International โคAlliance of Lawtechs adn Legal Innovation (AI2L); Axelโฃ Junestrand, founding GTM lead for โฃIberia and LatAm at Legora; Andrรฉ Dionรญsio, co-founder and CEO of ByTheLaw; LUรS ALVES DIAS, CEO and co-founder at Legau; Francisco โde Abreu Duarte, co-founder of Lexstream.
The technological revolution is now aโค central focus withinโ the โขlegal sector. The debate has moved beyond if artificial intelligence should be adopted, โขto when – and at what pace.โ A growing consensus affirms that technology is now a decisive factor in the success, or failure, โofโ aโข law firm. Tools designed to improve efficiency, reduceโ costs,โ automate tasks,โ andโ enable โขpredictive analytics are โdriving growth in the legaltech AI market, asโ firms respond to increasing pressure for agile, data-driven solutions.
The global legaltech market was valued atโฃ USD 2.5 billion in 2024 and isโค forecast to โreach USDโข 8.5โฃ billion by 2031,โ according to Market Research Intellect. Fueled by product innovation, cross-sector application, sustainability goals, and growing investor interest, the market is currently led byโ North America (over 40% share) and Europe (30%), as reported by Cognitive Marketโ Research. In Portugal, the industry โremains in its early stages, โคwith just over a dozen companies consolidated and focused exclusivelyโ on legal solutions, according to Abreu Advogados.
However,โ momentum is building. Marisa Borsboom, co-founder of the International Allianceโฃ of Lawtechs and Legal Innovation (AI2L), states the sector has entered a boom phaseโ afterโข years of groundwork laidโฃ by “pioneers and dreamers.” “we used to โtalk โabout disruption, innovation, revolution. Now it’s time to โขrethink, reimagine, โขand restructure,” she says.A clear indication of this shift is the increasing collaboration between major law firms and startups, exemplified โby Portuguese company Legauโข – which works with clients โขincluding PLMJ, Antas da Cunha Ecija, and CCA Law Firm – โand Swedishโฃ firm Legora,โ which has been developing solutions alongside Morais Leitรฃoโ and โPรฉrez-Llorca.
THIRSTY FOR INNOVATION
In Southern โEurope, firms are transitioning โฃfrom hesitation to action. “Both in Portugal and Spain, forward-thinking โteams are embracingโ AI to drive efficiency and gain a competitive edge,” says Axel Junestrand, founding โฃGTM lead for Iberia and latam at โฃLegora. He highlights strong โdemand in โareas requiring accuracy and scalability – especially in automating routine tasks that previouslyโ occupied โขlawyers’ time.”This is where AI delivers immediate value, byโค taking โขover the repetitive work and enabling lawyers โฃto concentrate on strategic, client-facing tasks,” he notes.
After a six-month observation period within Sรฉrvulo & Associados, Andrรฉ Dionรญsio, co-founder and โCEO of ByTheLaw, andโ his team โidentified internalโข knowledge management as a significant bottleneck. Theโ company later developed an AI-based system that automatically organizes internal legal details, reducing time โspent on non-billable administrative work.”Knowledge is the most valuable asset for law firms,” says Dionรญsio.
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